Vadodara, Feb 16 (IANS): Delhi Capitals captain Meg Lanning lauded her team’s adaptability and crucial 'impact performances' after their thrilling two-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians in the second match of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025 at Kotambi Stadium. In a match that swung back and forth, Delhi managed to chase a target of 165 on the final ball, with Lanning crediting the team’s ability to change plans and step up in key moments.

"Not too many stressful days like that," Lanning admitted after the match. "They looked like getting to 200. Pandey in particular bowled well. There were patches where we were going well with the bat, but Mumbai came back well. I had an idea of what I wanted it to look like. Minnu did well. You have to keep changing. When batters are set, you can't let them face the same thing twice, so I kept changing. Niki did an excellent job of coming in at a tricky time. Radha Yadav also hit that six. T20 is about impact play, and I thought we did that well."

After being put in to bat, Mumbai Indians seemed to be heading towards a massive total with Nat Sciver-Brunt leading the charge. The English all-rounder played a magnificent unbeaten knock of 80 off 59 balls, providing stability after early setbacks. She found strong support in Harmanpreet Kaur, who contributed a quickfire 42 off 22 balls. At one stage, Mumbai looked set to breach the 200-run mark, but a collapse in the final overs saw them bowled out for 164 in 19.1 overs.

Delhi’s chase began in blistering fashion as Shafali Verma took on the MI bowlers from the outset. She hammered three consecutive boundaries off Saika Ishaque before launching a six over mid-wicket, racing to 43 off just 18 balls. However, just as she seemed poised to take the game away, Verma fell to Hayley Matthews, caught by Amanjot Kaur.

Lanning, meanwhile, struggled to find her timing and was undone by Shabnim Ismail’s sharp pace, bowled for 15 off 19 balls. Jemimah Rodrigues (2) and Annabel Sutherland (6) also departed quickly, leaving Delhi in trouble at 83/4 in the 12th over.

With the game hanging in the balance, debutant Niki Prasad stepped up under pressure. The teenager, fresh from leading India to the U-19 World Cup title, showed remarkable composure, anchoring the innings while ensuring the required run rate didn’t escalate.

Alice Capsey tried to accelerate but perished for 16, leaving Delhi at 111/5. Sarah Bryce’s quickfire 21 off 10 balls injected the much-needed momentum, but her dismissal left the Capitals needing 21 runs off the final two overs. Radha Yadav’s crucial six in the penultimate over swung the momentum back in Delhi’s favour, but with 10 needed off the final over, the game was still wide open.

Harmanpreet Kaur handed the final over to Sajeevan Sajana, who hadn’t bowled the entire game. Prasad sliced the first ball for four, followed by two more runs to bring the equation down to four off four balls. A single left two needed off the final two deliveries.

However, just when Delhi seemed set for victory, Prasad fell for a composed 35 off 33 balls, caught by Amelia Kerr at deep mid-wicket, leaving two required off the last ball with Arundhati Reddy on strike. In the final moment of drama, Reddy charged down the track and lofted the ball over cover. As she sprinted for the second run, the throw came in at the non-striker’s end. Replays showed that Reddy just made her ground with a desperate dive, sealing a thrilling last-ball win for Delhi Capitals.